From Ramsay Street to Hollywood Boulevard, Australian actor Guy Pearce has a wide and varied career. With an Academy Award nomination for his role as Harrison Van Buren in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist and several Australian award nominations for his work in such films as The Proposition, Jack Irish, and The Rover plus Emmy nominations for his work in Todd Haynes’ Mildred Pierce. There are few genres that Guy hasn’t been involved in. Hollywood calls, and calls often, yet Guy Pearce makes significant time for Antipodean work.
Guy’s most recent role in an Australian film is as Warren Murfett in Charles Williams’ stellar prison drama Inside.
Guy discusses Inside and the empathy that drives him in choosing roles that speak to the human condition.
"I think Charles Williams is a supreme filmmaker; a sort of David Michôd (Animal Kingdom and The Rover) protege, I would suggest. I think that Inside is incredibly emotional.
"Young Vinny [Vincent Miller], who's the lead in the film, and, of course, Cosmo Jarvis both deliver really beautiful, painful performances. I think we've all done a good job acting in the film, primarily because there was a really great script to work off, similar to The Brutalist. If the script is great, you can't really go wrong.
"Charles himself has some experience with family members and prison. Inside comes from a very personal place for him.
"I can't wait for Inside to come out and for people to see it. I think it's really moving and heartbreaking."
Guy also discussed the emotionality and empathetic drive behind his acting:
"I've talked about this a lot, but my father died when I was very young, and you know, the tragedy of that, he was killed in an accident. So, it was sort of dramatic and tragic and I think that experience must play a big part in my desire to be an actor, and the roles that I choose, and the way in which I see the world.
"I have a sister with an intellectual disability and as much as I'm reluctant to say, because I certainly don't believe that having Tracy as my sister is a tragic occurrence – I love my sister enormously – but I think for her personally and for anyone to be born with an intellectual disability is a hurdle that most of us don't recognise and most of us can't actually appreciate. Certainly, as a sibling to somebody who was brought up in the world the way she was or must live in the world the way she has to, plays a part in my desire to be an actor, and again, the roles that I choose, and my recognition of sensitivity.
"I think there's probably a number of personal experiences in my life that I use, for want of a better word, but I don't think I use them consciously. I think I am a result of certain events and circumstances, and they lead me towards trying to have more compassionate connections with people. To create and enable people to see the beauty in the world and to really appreciate the love that we can have with our families.
"Because to lose a parent – you can't ever go back from that. Funnily enough, I have my own child now. I have an eight-year-old son and I was eight when my father died. I'm very conscious at the moment of who I must have been as an eight-year-old with my father and then losing my father when my own son now is the same age that I was. Whether or not I'm being a better dad to him because of that, I don't know, but I certainly am trying to be a good dad."
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